Cooky caddy



Feb. 20, 1934.

A. E. BERGQUIST GOOKY CADDY Filed May 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. E.BERGQUIST COOKY CADDY Filed May 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb.20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COOKY CADDY strom, Minn.

Application May 25, 1932. Serial No. 613,453

6 Claims.

My invention relates to a means for adjusting the lower layers of acocky caddy or similar display boxes where the contents of the box maybe brought up toward the top or display window quickly and easily.

A feature resides in providing an adjustable bottom which is economicalto manufacture, positive in operation, and which is simple in adjustmentto bring the contents of the display box up toward the display windowand hold the same in displaying position.

A further feature of the adjustable bottom resides in forming the samewith elevating strips which automatically pull the supporting members upinto operative position to hold the bottom elevated and to provide anelevating means in a cooky caddy or the like display box, wherein theadjustable bottom is inconspicuous and can be attached to boxes now inuse without changing the construction thereof.

My adjustable bottom for cocky caddies, cigar boxes, candy boxes and thelike, may be made of cardboard and paper or other suitable material andis of a design to be folded flat in the bottom of the display container,taking up a very small space in the bottom of the same when thecontainer is full of layers of cookies or cakes or the like. Theadjustable bottom is provided with members which project up into thecontainer which may be engaged when the container is partially empty tolift the adjustable bottom into operative position, the lifting actionautomatically pulling the supports for the bottom into operativeposition to hold the same elevated in the display container and theadjustable bottom and lifting means being of an inconspicuous nature soas not to change the appearance of the display case to any materialextent. The adjustable bottom and lifting means are made of flatmaterial, thus requiring little space in the container, yet operating tofulfill the desired functions.

It is also a feature to provide an adjustable, foldable bottom for cockycaddies or containers or other containers where the foldable bottom isformed with four supporting members instead of two on opposite sides ofthe bottom, each of these supporting members being hinged to the mainplate of the bottom and it only being necessary that two of the membershave operating strips connected therewith. In this construction, themembers carrying the operating strips are folded first to the under sideof the bottom and then the other supporting members on the oppositesides are folded over these first supporting members so that when thebottom is lifted or adjusted to raise the contents of the container, allfour of the supporting members come out into operative position andthereby form a strong, sturdy supporting bottom which will hold aconsiderable load in containers where it is desirable to do so.

A further feature resides in providing a means for adjusting the bottomsof cigar boxes so as to bring the lower content up toward the cover andinto better displaying position. This construction may also be adaptableto candy boxes and the like and it includes a bottom where thesupporting members are connected to the under side of the main plate ofthe bottom with the hinging attachment set in from the outer edge of thebottom plate so that when the supporting members are in operativeposition, they extend at an obtuse angle from the under side of theadjustable bottom. This places the supporting members anguiarly engagingin the corners so as to form a strong supporting bottom which cannot beeasily pushed down by the load, but rather is held in such a manner thatthe load on the bottom will simply push the supporting members morefirmly into place.

These features together with other details and objects will be morefully and clearly defined.

In the drawings forming part of this specification: 5

Figure l is a perspective view of a cocky or cake caddy which may alsobe used for confections with a display window in the top, part of whichis broken away to illustrate my adjustable bottom and elevating means asit would appear in lowermost position in the same.

Figure 2 is a section centrally through the display case, showing indotted lines the partially lifted adjustable bottom, and in full linesthe adjustable bottom elevated up into operating position, showing themanner in which the adjustable bottom raises the lower layers of thecontents of the display box up closer to the display window.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of my adjustable bottom removed from thedisplay case, showing the same set up with the supporting membersholding the bottom of the same raised in the same manner as it wouldappear in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a small view illustrating another form of my adjustablebottom, wherein the lifters are secured across the inside of the bottom.

Figure 5 illustrates a perspective of my collaps ible bottom in anotherform in partially opened position.

Figure 6 illustrates a transverse cross section through a candy box,cigar box or the like, showing another form of my adjustable bottom inoperative position to elevate the bottom content of the box when it isdesired.

I have illustrated a display case A which may be of any suitable size ordesign and which is provided with a display window B held by the frame10 to the top of the display case A. The goods in the display case A aredisplayed through the window B so that the customer may readily see thecookies or cakes held within the display case A. It is customary toprovide the merchant with these display cases A by the manufacturer ofthe cookies or cakes or confections, and they are sometimes supported onracks, tilted so that the customer can View the cookies or cakes throughthe windows 13. The window protects the cookies, keeps them fresh in thecontainer A, and yet permits an attractive display of the same.

Owing to the depth of the container A so as to provide a cocky orconfection container adapted to supply the dealer with a quantity ofcookies or cakes, when part of the contents of the display A have beensold and removed from the same, the lower layers are not convenientlypositioned to show or be displayed through the window B, therefore Iprovide an adjustable bottom C with i 1 elevating means in the form ofthe flat strips 11 so that the bottom C may be drawn up into operativeposition in the container A to raise the contents thereof up toward theWindow 13, as illusrated in Figure 2. The adjustable bottom C is formedwith a plate-like member 12 which may be rectangular or of a shape tofit the bottom of the container A. This plate 12 may be formed ofcardboard or other suitable light weight material and of a sheet natureso that it will take only a very small space in the bottom of thecontainer A when it is folded together. This permits the adjustablebottom to be folded so fiat into the bottom of the container A that itwill not disturb the filling of the container with cookies or cakes orthe confection for which the display case is designed.

Connected to the sides of the plate 12, I provide adjustable supports 13which may be formed integral with the plate 12 so as to hinge along thesides 14 with the plate 12. When the plate 12 and the supports 13 of thebottom C are made of cardboard they may be formed integral and scoredalong the hinging points 14 so that the supporting members 13 may befolded under the plate 12 as illustrated in Figure 1. This permits theadjustable bottom 0 to be folded fiat in the bottom of the container A.Then the contents of the container may be filled upon the same.

I provide lifting and adjusting strips 11 which may be stapled at 15 orotherwise secured to the free edge 16 of the supports 13 while thestrips 11 are sufiiciently long to project the desired distance abovethe folded bottom C as illustrated in Figure 1. Thus when the contentsof the display container A become sufficiently low as to be not readilyvisible through the window B, the merchant simply reaches into thecontainer, engages the upper ends of the strips 11, lifting theremaining contents in the container A and the strips 11 willautomatically pull the free edges 16 of the supports 13 out into theposition illustrated in Figure 2 with the supports 13 adjacent the sidewalls 17 of the container A and thus supporting the cookies or cakes Delevated as illustrated in Figure 2. The strips 11 act to automaticallyraise and simultaneously adjust the side supports 13. This is due to theleverage by the attachment of the strips 11 adjacent the free edge 16 bythe staples 15 or with the strip 11 extending across the inside of theplate 12 and the supports 13, as illustrated in Figure 4. In theconstruction illustrated in Figure 4, the strip 11 may be continuousinstead of in two separate boxes like illustrated in Figure 3, and inthis construction of Figure 4, the strip 11 may be attached to theinside of the respective parts 12 and 13 by gluing o1 otherwise. It willbe apparent, however, that the strips 11 are free from the edge 16 totheir outer free engaging end 18. Thus the leverage provided to thesestrips 11 extends from the free edge 16 to the engaging end 18. Thedotted lines in Figure 2 show the bottom C in the act of being elevatedwhen the ends 18 are engaged by the merchant. It will also be noted thatthe free edges 16 of the bottom 0 act to rest upon the bottom 2c of thedisplay container A, digging into the same with suificient engagement toprevent the supports 13 from slipping toward each other and permittingthe bottom C to fold after it has been elevated. This also is a featureof advantage and importance in my adjustable bot tom for cocky caddiesand the like.

The simplicity of my adjustable bottom with the economy of manufactureowing to the fact that it can be made of paper or other similar cheapmaterial, together with the inconspicuous nature of the same makes thismeans of supporting the lower contents of a display case such as A ofprimary importance as well as the fact that it may be readily attachedto the present cooky caddies or confection display boxes without makingit necessary to change the construction or form thereof. The adjustablebottom operates positively and accomplishes the desired support ingmeans to firmly hold the contents of the display container A closer tothe display window .3 and to overcome the appearance of an almost emptydisplay case.

In Figure 5, I have illustrated the bottom C of a different form wherethe plate 12 is provided with supporting members 13, the free edges ofwhich are adapted to be brought into operative position to raise thebottom C by pulling on the strips 11. The operation of the strips 11pulling the supports 13 into right angular position in relation foldedin its flat state, the supports 13 which 32 carry the strips 11 arefirst folded against the under side of the bottom plate 12. Then theouter supports 13 are folded over the supports 13. This permits thebottom C to lie fiat in a small space in the bottom of the container A.In this construction, when the strips 11 are pulled to raise the bottomC, all of the supporting members namely 13 and 13' are automaticallymoved into operative position and extend virtually at right angles tothe plate 12. This will be quite apparent rom Figure 5 which shows thebottom C in partially open position and shows the manner in which themembers 13 are being pulled into right angular position with the plate12 and simultaneously opening into operative position the supportingmembers 13.

My bottom C may be made in a form where the supporting members 13 arepositioned with their hinging points 30 set or spaced inside of the edge31 of the bottom plate 12, as illustrated in Figure 6. When the supports13 are connected to the under side of the plate 12 in this manner, bypulling on the strips 11, which are attached to the supports 13, theyare pulled out with their edge 16 positioned in the corner of thecontainer A and with the hinging point 30 spaced in from the sides ofthe container. Thus, the pulling on the strips 11 move the members 13into a greater than right angle or an obtuse angular position inrelation to the bottom plate 12. This construction as illustrated inFigure 6 provides a very strong and substantial means for holding thebottom plate 12 elevated from the bottom of the container A, thusholding the contents thereof in better displaying position and moreacceptable to the customer. This form of the bottom C may be used withparticular advantage for cigar boxes, candy boxes or even other boxconstructions where it is desirable to provide an adjustable bottom suchas C which may be elevated and when in elevated position, the supportswill extend angularly so as to lock the bottom against dropping orslipping. These are material advantages in the construction of anadjustable bottom, is simple in manufacture and accomplishes verydesirable results.

Heretofore, various means have been designed to bring the lower contentsof the display cases toward the display window B but they have had adifferent nature, have not accomplished the same results nor been of aconstruction economical to manufacture in the sense I have pointed outheretofore, such as is found in my adjustable bottom for these displaycases. It is also apparent that as the contents of the display case A issold, the customer cannot so readily see the same because it is down lowin the container, nor can the merchant remove the contents as easily aswhere it is held elevated by my simple inexpensive adjustable bottom.Other bottoms that have been used heretofore having an adjustable naturedid not always hold the contents remaining in the display case such asA, firmly and in place, or were too complicated to adjust quickly. Myadjustable bottom overcomes these disadvantages and is positive as Wellas being economical.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have set forth the bestembodiment of my adjustable bottom and have illustrated a form ofconstruction which may be made economically and applied to a particularuse in cooky caddies and the like, nevertheless, the same may be carriedout by other means and applied to uses other than those set forthwherein the same features are accomplished within the scope of thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. A cooky caddy adjustable bottom including, a plate-like memberadapted to lie flat on the bottom of a full cooky caddy, a pair ofsupporting members pivoted at a point spaced from the edge of saidmember normally folded under said plate,

and lifting members for said supporting members adapted to automaticallylift the free edges of said supports into position to raise said plate,and thereby raise the contents of the cooky caddy when said liftingmembers are pulled upward.

2. An adjustable bottom for display boxes adapted to contain cookies,cakes, confections and the like held in layers in the display boxincluding, supporting members spaced inwardly of the edges of the bottomadapted to be normally folded under said bottom, and elevating stripsextending from the free edges of said supporting members and above saidbottom when it is folded in the bottom of the display case, whereby whensaid elevating strips are engaged, the remaining contents in the bottomportion of the display case is elevated and said supporting members areautomatically unfolded and moved into operative position to support thecontents in the display case elevated into the upper portion of thesame.

3. A foldable cardboard bottom for display cases adapted to containcookies, confection and cakes in layers in the display case, said bottomincluding a plate-like member adapted to extend below the bottom-mostlayer in the display case, oppositely disposed supporting legs spacedfrom opposite edges of said bottom formed on said plate adapted to foldbeneath the same when the display case is filled, and means secured tosaid 105 supporting legs to permit the same to be automatically unfoldedand moved into operating position to support said plate elevated fromthe bottom of the display case when a part of the contents of thedisplay case has been removed.

4. An adjustable bottom for display boxes including, a bottom plate,supporting members hingedly attached with the hinging point set inmarginally from the edge of said plate, and means for raising saidbottom by members attached to 115 said supporting members to draw thefree edge of said supporting members into locking position with saidsupporting members extending in a position greater than a right anglefrom said bottom plate.

5. An adjustable bottom for cocky, candy, cigar, and the like containersincluding, a bottom plate, members for holding said bottom plateelevated from the bottom of a container adapted to receive said bottom,said bottom being adapted to be normally folded in a fiat state andhaving elevating members hingedly attached thereto spaced inwardly fromthe marginal edge of said plate, and means for lifting andsimultaneously moving the free edges of said supporting members to causesaid supporting members to extend at greater than a right angle andsupport said bottom plate elevated and rigidly positioned in a containeradapted to receive said adjustable bottom.

6. A foldable, adjustable bottom for containers, including, supportingmembers hingedly attached to said bottom, the hinging points of saidsupporting members being spaced inwardly from the marginal edge of saidbottom, and means 149 connecting with the free edge of said supportingmembers to automatically expand the same into operative position whensaid bottom is raised.

ARTHUR E. BERGQUIST.

